Anwar Khan, who goes by
the name Anwar in the art world, was born in 1964 in
Ambha, a small Madhya Pradesh town. From his early days
as a student of art, Anwar has really traveled far to
become the mature artist that he is today. Fighting
against the trend towards figuration that was popular
during his stint at Gwalior, Anwar was guided in Bhopal
by the late eminent artist J. Swaminathan in developing
a personal visual vocabulary and using it to communicate
through his art. Swaminathan, as a teacher and mentor,
introduced Anwar to the philosophy of Sufism and the
principles of light and love that guide his work today.
Before this his abstracts displayed insensitive angles
and biting edges, now Anwar makes his statement just
as powerfully but much more quietly, having learnt to
manipulate colour and texture to his advantage. Most
of his Anwar\'s recent works show a clear vertical division
of the painted surface with an almost central line,
often splitting the paper into two contrasting colors
and pulling all the activity on the surface towards
it. Anwar grinds his own pigments to make the pastel
colors he builds his surface in layers with. Using dry
pastels to mark these opaque layers in an almost calligraphic
manner and sometimes weaving or pasting painted material
or the surface, Anwar creates relief like lyrical pieces
that communicate his thoughts and emotions fully.
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